I don’t know how many people have heard about “Armello”, but if you haven’t, then I would definitely place it atop your wishlist. I only became aware of this video game this past weekend, and I’ve only already fallen in love with it.

“Armello” is an RPG board game that’s basically “Redwall” meets “Settlers of Catan” meets “Risk”. The game takes place in the fantasy kingdom of “Armello” where anthropomorphic creatures are ruled by a king driven to madness thanks to an evil magic called Rot. The role of the player is to begin a campaign to overthrow the king and become the next ruler. There are a variety of characters to choose from, but my personal favorites are River the Wolf Huntress and Barnaby the Rabbit Tinkerer.

The way to become the next ruler is a little complicated, so I’m not going to get too specific in this review. Mainly, characters move around a board to different tiles that provide objects or missions that boost players’ abilities. For example, capturing a settlement gives you more gold or climbing a mountain gives you additional defense points. Players use cards and roll dice to attack monsters, king’s guards, and flying monsters, as well as defending yourself from booby traps and spells.

Now, I know that sounds like “Armello” has way too many rules; honestly, it’s not that bad. When I first started playing the game, I was a little overwhelmed, but the game does come with a simple tutorial. The complicated gameplay does heighten the experience, though. The scenarios for “Armello” are practically endless due to the different combinations of characters, abilities, cards, and tasks to complete within the game. The strategic element of “Armello” is also very intricate, as you’re balancing trying to usurp the king while preventing the other players from doing so.

A couple of the things that really make “Armello” stand out for me are its graphics and soundtrack. The animations of the characters are fun to watch and the details on the board’s tiles are beautiful. The music fits the game perfectly; subtle enough that it’s not distracting while you’re playing but noticeable enough to add another dimension to the medieval fantasy world.

There are a few things that I’d wish the creators would fix about “Armello”. For one, the computer AIs don’t have a level functionality, so it’s to know what difficulty your opponents are or to know how good/bad you’re playing the game. Sometimes the strategies of the computer opponents feel a bit random. Also, I definitely feel as though some of the character options are stronger than the others.

Overall, I would definitely recommend “Armello” to board game enthusiasts and fans of fantasy RPG. “Armello” is available on many platforms, including Steam for Windows and Macs, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, so it’s not a hard game to find!

Rating: 8/10